What is a fire watch and when is it required in Australia?

It is a documented patrol by trained personnel when fire protection systems are offline or unreliable. You should implement it during maintenance, faults, or after incidents that reduce detection or suppression. Use a risk assessment, notify stakeholders, and keep logs to maintain safety and support compliance.

How long should coverage remain in place?

Keep coverage until the affected systems are repaired, tested, and confirmed operational by competent technicians. Document the start and end times, include test results, and close the impairment formally. If risks change, adjust patrol scope and frequency to match the hazard profile and any direction from authorities.

Can hotel staff perform patrols, or do we need a provider?

Trained staff can perform patrols if they understand routes, hazards, radios, and escalation. Many hotels still engage specialist providers for 24/7 coverage, supervision, and documentation. A blended approach works well: internal leads coordinate, while professionals scale coverage, maintain logs, and relieve fatigue on longer outages.

What records prove compliance during an outage?

Maintain an impairment register with start and end times, reason, areas affected, notifications sent, patrol logs, findings, corrective actions, incidents, and restoration tests. Attach contractor reports and photos where helpful. Consistent, time-stamped records support regulatory audits, insurer reviews, and internal lessons learned after the outage.

Law and Government

January 29: Fire Watch in Focus as Courchevel Hotel Blaze Tests Safety

ByHuzaifa Zahoor January 29, 2026

Fire watch is front of mind across Australia after a major hotel blaze in Courchevel forced evacuations. When alarms or sprinklers are offline, fire watch keeps guests safe, reduces loss, and supports insurers. We outline what it involves, when you need it, and how to deploy it quickly. With summer travel and events, hotels, resorts, aged care, and strata sites face higher exposure. Clear plans, trained personnel, and precise records turn a risky outage into a controlled, compliant operation.